Earlier today, I received an offer to photograph a sports event next month. A US photography company is seeking a few photographers to cover an all-day athletic event. The photographers just take pictures and no editing is required. Does this sound like a good assignment?
The job pays $225.
Does this still sound like a good assignment?
Let’s do some math:
It’s a roundtrip of 260 km to/from the location. That’s about a $140 car expense using current federal government numbers.
That leaves an $85 gross profit assuming no other expenses. That’s below minimum wage. And just to point out, the average Canadian hourly worker earns $25/hour.
Now subtract photo business overhead costs. Even a bottom-end photographer who owns the cheapest gear, uses out-of-date software on an obsolete computer, has no insurance, and drives an old car, would have at least $100/day overhead.
The “profit” is now a negative number.
Does this still sound like a good assignment?
Photographers have to examine potential assignments not just for the creative potential but also for the profit potential. Running a business is about making money. Sure, some jobs may be more profitable than others but accepting a money-losing job is rarely good for business.
